Jealousy
by crimeson-plasma
Summary: Being flirted at was completely normal, wasn't it? Why then was Thorin so angry and acting in such a protective way? Bilbo was determined to know the reason, no matter how much Thorin tried to hide it. Originally a request, "Can I get a thilbo, where Thorin is kinda angry/protective at and over bilbo over something that he did or that happened to him?".


Here is a fanfic that 'youstolemyfryingpan' requested on deviantart! I actually found this slightly hard to write because I had three separate ideas and didn't know which one to go for (after that I started writing this expecting it to be around 500 words or so but BAM, 2400+ words suddenly appeared). Please enjoy :)

The request was: _**"Can I get a thilbo, where Thorin is kinda angry/protective at and over bilbo over something that he did or that happened to him?"**_

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hobbit or any of Tolkien's works.

#

The sun was starting to rise in Lake Town, and we were walking towards the place where we had been told that we would be able to set off towards Erebor. We would finally be able to start the very last part of the journey: our trip to Erebor and the Lonely Mountain. What would happen after this only Eru, and perhaps Mandos, knew. This, however, was the least of my worries right now. Rather, the only thing that occupied my mind was the completely _unmistakable_ thing that was happening. _Unmistakable_, and painfully so.

It had started after which we had arrived late at night to the house of the governor of Lake Town, where a human had attempted to flirt with me. I had made no particular deal of this and politely turned her down, after all I was used to such things in the Shire, flirting wasn't something which bothered me particularly. I had thought that the dwarves had not noticed it at first, or at least that they hadn't been bothered by it in the least. I wasn't, after all. It was a natural thing, something hobbits, humans and all the races did.

I couldn't have been any more mistaken.

Apparently all the dwarves had noticed. Not only that, they were also _annoyed_ by it. How could I tell? It was easy, as we were walking through the streets I was right in the middle of the whole group. _Right in the middle_. Something like this hadn't happened since Rivendell, when the others had thought they were going to be attacked by elves. Attacked! And yet here I was, right in the middle of the whole group of dwarves. I had tried to get to the sides of the group so as to be able to talk with some of the humans that lived in the town and ask those things, my Took side having taken over. However, all my efforts had been frustrated. Every single one.

It was something very obvious in all of them, however it was the most noticeable in Thorin. He was currently leading the group, walking right in front of all of the dwarves. Where was I? Right behind him, and I could tell he was keeping me rather close to him. Not only that though, the way he was carrying himself, his body language in other words, clearly showed he was angry. I had tried asking him about it, of course, however I hadn't received an answer. No one had given me an answer, actually. Curse whatever had triggered this in their minds. It was a shame Bofur wasn't amongst was. Where had he gone?

Soon enough we were boarding the boat we were to use to get to the other shore, and nothing was still being said to me. I resigned myself to not be able to speak to anyone, human or of the company, as the governor of the town started to give a speech. I, of course, noticed too. I was still close to Thorin, and it couldn't be just chance again. Not too close, but close enough so that I could hear him breathe and see the movements of his eyes.

"Thorin" I said, trying to ask them why they, he, had been so protective over me throughout the morning. He looked briefly towards me, but didn't answer.

"Prepare yourself, Master Baggins. We will soon be at Erebor and have to face the end of our journey" He instead said as he made eye contact with me at a rather strange angle.

I couldn't help but look into his eyes, his incredibly _blue_ eyes. It didn't help that I had been undeniably attracted towards the dwarven king throughout the journey. The moment did not last though, and soon it he was looking back at the governor, tapping his fingers against the sword he had been given. Evidently nervous about wasting time here and wanting instead to start going towards the kingdom we would have to reclaim. Durin's day was upon us after all. Close, still a day away, but still far too near to be able to waste time here in his mind.

After an amount of time which I hadn't bothered to keep track of the governor finished his speech. Instruments started playing, and the boat started sailing. Thorin looked forwards, towards the path we would sail and then travel on foot. Instead, I couldn't help looking backwards and at the humans that inhabited the town, who obviously lived in such bad conditions. At Fili, Kili and the others that had stayed behind. I had my qualms about that too, and I felt that Gandalf perhaps would have had them too if he were here. I took a breath in, knowing that the strong smell of humidity and fish wouldn't leave me in a long time. It was then that I saw Bofur, who had arrived late at the dock. There wasn't anything I could do to resolve it though.

Hours later, we were already walking on foot towards the Lonely Mountain. The sun was starting to set, and we had decided to set camp and prepare ourselves for the long day that tomorrow would sure be. We would be able to reach Erebor during the morning, and after that it was just a matter of finding the hidden door and entering the kingdom.

We had all been talking whilst we walked, unlike the almost eerie silence I was surrounded by during the morning. However, it had been a different type of talking. Thorin had barely said anything at all to me, much like how things had been at the start of the journey. He hadn't even looked at me, and it was a strange thing. I had gotten used to talking to him, even if it was only one time per day, but I wasn't used to being ignored in such a way. Not since he had started trusting me.

I sat beside the fire that we had made, slowly eating the dinner made by Bombur. I should be thinking about the end of our journey, about how I would face the dragon and complete the job that I had been contracted to do from the very beginning. I found that I couldn't though, and instead I just stared at the fire whilst thinking about what had happened today. Why had they all behaved in such a way? Most importantly, why had Thorin behaved even more obviously like that? I looked up, and found that the others had started to prepare themselves to go to sleep. Had I done something that had offended him, them? No matter how much I thought I couldn't think of anything that could have possibly merited that reaction throughout all the day. What had it been that I had done exactly?

"I should probably do the same thing" I thought. I made no move to do it though, aware that with how much I was thinking I wouldn't be able to fall asleep. By now the moon was high in the sky.

I looked around myself, listening to the snores of some of the others. The person occupying my thoughts wasn't asleep though, no, he was wide awake and in charge of guarding duty tonight. He had insisted, of course, probably out of his duty to lead and as the king under the mountain. An idea suddenly occurred to me.

"I could just ask him now what that was all about" I thought.

I grinned, and with the thought still in my mind I got up and walked towards he dwarf that had been the main object of my thoughts for so long. He was sitting rather close to the fire, not as close as me though, tapping his fingers against his leg. Deep in thought, I realised.

"Thorin" I said, once I was close enough to him.

He looked up at me. "Master Baggins" he just said. "You should rest, tomorrow will be the most important day we have faced yet" He then added, looking for a moment into my eyes, but looking away after a couple of seconds.

"I would like to, but there is something that I have been thinking about. Something that I need to resolve" I just answered as I sat beside him. There it was again, the sound of his breath and the deep stare his eyes were giving me again. They were so blue, so impossibly blue and intense. I could practically feel them on my skin.

"Very well, what is troubling you Master Baggins?" he asked.

I took a breath in, promising to myself that I wouldn't stop asking until he gave me an answer. "I was wondering what today was about" I just said.

"What about today?" he asked rather evasively, looking away once more.

I clenched my teeth for a moment. There it was again, an attempt to diverge the conversation and avoid answering. It wouldn't work this time though, not after having avoided to answer or explain the whole thing for so many hours.

"You know what I am talking about" I said. "Why were you behaving so… protectively… this morning. I was completely unable to talk to anyone!"

He sighed. Had he decided to finally answer me? "It doesn't concern you, Bilbo".

"It does. It has to do with my person after all." I said, staring directly into his eyes now as he did the same thing.

A couple of seconds went by during which we both were in complete silence, only hearing the snores of the others, who were probably asleep by now. However, after a while he relented and sighed. Deciding to finally talk and give me my answer.

"That human flirted with you…" he muttered "a lot of them did, actually. We just all sensed this and didn't like it".

I could practically hear my heart beat quicken at the revelation. Why would such a thing matter? "Why would that matter?" I asked. "You were also behaving the most… protectively too. Angry as well, I could tell. Why? Why did it matter to you?" I asked again.

He suddenly made an attempt to leave at this, muttering an excuse, but I grabbed his wrist before he could move again and kept him in his place. He sighed again at this, and this time drew closer to me as he sat back down. I could feel his breath directly on my skin, strangely warm. He didn't answer though, and just stared at my eyes yet again with that look of his. I looked at him, scanning his expression and the way he was behaving, the way he was looking at me, trying to discover what was that he wasn't saying. It was such a gentle look that he was giving me… intense, and yet gentle at the same time. A strange sort of combination.

'_Oh'_

"You were jealous" I muttered.

The alarmed look he suddenly gave me immediately confirmed this. He didn't say anything though, and just looked at another side. What was going through his head?

"Thorin… were you jealous? Why?"

He quickly turned around and freed himself from the grip that my hand still had on his wrist. "It isn't proper, Master Baggins" he said. "It doesn't concern you, halfling". He was trying to convince me again of that again, however this time I had a good idea of what was going on here.

"Thorin, I think I know what is going on here. I don't know about how Dwarvish customs are, but… Thorin!" He had started to walk away, and I couldn't help but to say his name one more time to try and capture his attention.

It was perhaps this that made him abandon whatever his aim of walking away and avoiding the entire conversation yet again. He abruptly turned around walked back to me with a determined kind of way to how he did it. I expected him to stop right in front of me and push me, or perhaps shout because of how much I was pressuring him to say what he was hiding.

"Thorin, I'm sorry I…" I said.

He interrupted me, blatantly not interested in what I was saying. "You keep saying my name, Halfling. You say it all the time and have no idea of what…" he said, muttering to himself.

"Thorin?" I asked aloud, not knowing what to expect. I thought I knew what had triggered his behavior today, but...

"I told you it didn't concern you. That it was not correct, but if you really want to know I will tell you" he continued saying.

I looked up at him, expectantly. I could practically feel the warmth that his skin irradiated with the sudden closeness. He leaned forwards, not too much but enough to make him be particularly close to my right ear.

"I love you" he whispered. "I love you more than anything that I have thought to love before. I love everything about you, your quirks, and your bravery. I love how you'd give everything for us…" He gulped. "That was what made me behave in that way this morning. You are not aware of it, but I am a dwarf after all. I apologise" he then added.

I then leaned back, away from me, and I could only stare at his eyes. I didn't know what to say. He then made a move to walk away, but I managed to collect myself then, and grabbed him by his wrist again.

"Halfling?" he asked, turning around to face me once again.

"Thorin, I…" I stopped suddenly, not truly managing to find the correct words. I gulped, an awkward silence had set around us, and it would be hard to break it. I couldn't find the words at all, and I doubted I would manage to bring myself to say them at all. What could I do?

I smiled, having finally decided, and instead raised my hand and enveloped it around his neck, proceeding to pull him down towards me, and then kissed him gently. He returned the kiss, and even though it remained gentle he hugged me from behind. It all seemed strange, magical, and the warmth of his skin was strangely maddening.

The moment passed again, as it always does, and soon we were just looking at each other. I smiled again, happier than what perhaps I had been in months.


End file.
